Doctors appalled by Colin Hendry wife's injuries

Footballer Colin Hendry has told a court how doctors who examined his wife Denise after botched liposuction surgery were "disgusted" by the injuries she sustained.

And one concerned specialist told the former Scotland and Rangers captain that his wife only had a one in ten chance of surviving.

Denise Hendry underwent liposuction surgery at the private Broughton Park Hospital near Preston, Lancashire, on 10 April, 2002.

But during the operation, carried out by Dr Gustaf Aniansson, her bowel was punctured nine time, causing her abdominal wall to "die", leaving her with an open wound which required constant dressing.

Mr Hendry, 45, told the inquest at Bolton Crown Court yesterday that when his wife was transferred to Royal Preston Hospital, just hours after the operation, NHS doctors wo examined her were "extremely disgusted".

"They were pretty much mad, to think that that could have happened to somebody," he said.

Peter Bunting, consultant anaesthetist at the hospital, told the court Mrs Hendry was taken straight to its high dependency unit.

Medics found that the cavity created during the liposuction was contaminated with the contents of her bowel. The punctures to her abdomen started off a "chain of events" in which Mrs Hendry underwent a series of operations to correct the damage - but she never fully recovered.

Mr Bunting said the perforations in her bowel were a "direct consequence" of the plastic surgery.

"Her liver was also involved and the first time I met Colin Hendry was to tell him there was a 90 per cent chance that his wife would not survive," Dr Bunting said.

One doctor tried to report Dr Aniansson to the General Medical Council to get him struck off, but he was "a step in front", Mr Hendry said, and voluntarily removed himself from the British medical register in 2003.

Dr Aniansson, who is believed to be still practising abroad, had been notified of the hearing, coroner Jennifer Leeming told the inquest, but was out of the country so she had no powers to order him to attend. Instead she read out a statement from him. It said: "Following the procedure I was satisfied the surgery had proceeded uneventfully."

Mrs Hendry spent two months in intensive care at the Royal Preston before going home.

Mr Hendry said: "To look at Denise, even when ill, she was beautiful. She did not let anybody really realise what was going on."The couple, who lived in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, had been together for 25 years and had four children, Rheagan, Kyle, Calum and Niamh, Bolton Coroner's Court heard.

Finally Mrs Hendry underwent another operation, lasting 16 hours, at the Salford Royal Hospital on 22 April, 2009.

Professor Gordon Carlson, lead surgeon at the National Intestinal Failure Unit, based at Salford Royal Hospital, led a team of doctors through the "enormously complex".

He said: "She had a very poor quality of life and both Denise and Colin were struggling to do the best they could to get through with great fortitude. She was remarkable."

He added: "She was potentially sitting on a time bomb. It was a question of a balance of risk."

Medics were at first delighted with the surgery results but suddenly the patient began to deteriorate. Mrs Hendry died at Salford Royal Hospital on 10 July, 2009, aged 43.

The inquest continues.